Humble as ever

"What I was missing in the last two or three years, it was like I was playing sometimes and then returning to the bench," Hernandez told the Orlando Sentinel from Leverkusen’s Floridian winter training camp. "But now that I am playing most of the game or almost all of my games here in my club, that's what I need. People sometimes think the confidence is with goals, but I don't think like that. I think confidence is to play day-by-day, to get rhythm."

Hernandez also heaped praise on his club mates: "For me I am just one more player, one more person to play for Leverkusen who tries to do his best for the team, to get the objectives that we wanted since the beginning of the season."

Florida Cup focus

With Leverkusen currently fifth in the Bundesliga, two points outside the top four, they are heading in the right direction.

For now, though, the focus is on the 2016 Florida Cup in Orlando, where Roger Schmidt's side have been pitted against Colombia’s Sante Fe (Sunday, 10 January) and Brazilian outfit SC International (Wednesday, 13 January).